Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-08-11
A MILE A MINUTE.
The Grizzled Strangers Unperal-
leled Feat


81 have made mile a minute on
horseback. in the saddle"
As a grizzled stranger with a quartz
lite pin made this remark, a silence, fell
upon the little group of turfmen who
sat in the corridor of the Windsor
Hotel, at Denver. the other evening.
The man who had just told of driving
an unrecorded mile in Pill arose de-
liberately, brushed the ashes off his
cigar, buttoned his overcOat and
walked away.
Il am liar, myself" somebody be-
gan.
''Hold on" said the stranger, ''this
isn't lie. It's cold, clammy truth.
and I'll back it with money"
'.Have you the papers for it?'
mo, nor the judges aflidavits. In
fact, nobody saw it except myself, but
if you will permit me to tell you the
circumstances. I'll leave it to yourself
whether it isn't afact"
"Blaze away"
The group drew closer. Even the
man who had walked off suspended his
conversation with the hotel clerk and
listened on the quiet. The grizzled
stranger removed section of tobacco
from his mouth and began:
"rhis happened five years ago last
fall. l was living in Lcadville at the
time, but had mining interests that
took me frequently into the outlying
districts, for q radius of perhaps n
dozen miles. These trips I nearly
always made on horseback, on tough
little broncho, tough mouthed, trained
to mountain roads. and capable of
keeping up a jog-trot at pinch Cor
twenty hours on a stretch. On the
occasion in question l started very
early one clear, cold morning for a
claim owned on the other side of the
divide, on the slope of what is called
Gold mOuntaiD-yOu can find it by
looking Oh any map. To reach it l had
first to cross Tennessee Park and then
to wind over a very crooked, tortuous
trail that gradually assembled to a pass
somewhere above Timber Pine. 1t was
not more than two miles as the crow
flies, but nine by the road, owing to
the frequent zigzagging or lacking
made necessary by the steepness of the
range.
Il took things easy. and it was about
noon when reached the claim. Ihad
a couple of men at work there, ate
dinner at their cabin. and then went
over to look at the shaft One has no
idea how rapidly time passes UNDER
ground. where every thing is dark,
and when came up was surprised
TO find that it was nearly four o'clock.
and the shadows of pimons a hundred
yards of had crawled up to the wind
lass / was annoyed, too, for there
was suggestion of snow in the air.
and the ride across Tennessee Park in
a storm is-well. the less said about it
the better. So lost no time in got
ting into the saddle. and pushed rapid
" ahead toward the pass. l had to 90
quite little distance before reached
1t. and all the time the sky grew
Erayer. and graycr. and presently a
Few flakes began to fall. 1 urged the
broneho. and finally began the de-
scent.
1.-The road beyond the pass led down
. long, straight incline for about
quarter of mile. This took it to the
fringes oftimber pine. and then it made
. detOur of nearly two miles to get
around spur of the range. At that
point paused. The idea occurred to
me that I could make . short cut BY
going directly over the spur and
striking the trail on the other side.
The range was not particularly steep
ut this place. but rather a succession
of rough eminences. and the undertak-
ing did not seem to be accompanied
by danger. A sudden. raw wind
decided me. l turned the broncho of
the road and started.
1.-The plan appeared more feasible as
/ advanced What looked like steep
at distance proved to be
gentle ones, and l was soon pretty
nearly across The spur was we'll
wooded with old pine trees. some of
which had rotted as they lay, and on
the far side the declivity extended
down at an even slope clear to the
valley. where big rocks and powders
looked like grains of blasting powder,
and the road like a tiny streak. Ire
member yet how, between the tree
tops. l caught a glimpse of the park |
with the Arkansas river winding
it. and the whole thing look |
ing like some map in my old geog-
raphy. That was the last thing that |
itself on my mind before my |
horse staggered, stumbled. plunged a |
little, and then came down with a |
crash. first on his fore legs and then
Hat on bis belly. his head down hill I
can't readily describe it, but he fell in |